


Second Chances

by Naramis



Category: Gentleman Jack (TV)
Genre: AU, Established Relationship, F/F, Smut, Some drama/angst, another COVID-19 fic, the Ann(e)s in quarantine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:47:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23471209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Naramis/pseuds/Naramis
Summary: Having been exposed to COVID-19 at work, Anne Lister gets quarantined alongside Ann. But lately, their marriage has not been what it once was... will having to stay home together help them resolve their issues?
Relationships: Anne Lister (1791-1840)/Ann Walker (1803-1854)
Comments: 28
Kudos: 115





	Second Chances

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is my (late) contribution to Anne Lister's birthday. I haven't written in ages and haven't got a beta, so please forgive any mistakes, same as any inaccuracies regarding quarantine procedures - I kind of just went with what made sense to me and didn't look into this too much. Hope you enjoy! :)

Ann sat in front of the mirror in the master bedroom, gently combing through her hair in practised movements. She was blankly looking more through than at her reflection in the mirror as she went through the motions and her hair became softer.

Anyone chancing a look at her from the outside would assume the blonde was simply making herself presentable after a shower, not imagining the thoughts that kept trying to invade Ann’s mind no matter how well she thought she’d pushed them away just moments prior.

She sighed, putting down the brush as if admitting defeat. Her thoughts pulled her back to the talk she’d had with her friend Catherine just minutes before, how excited she’d sounded about her new boyfriend and their next date – good for her. Really, Ann was happy for her friend.

But something nagged at her regardless, and she couldn’t quite shake it off. Something about her friend’s carefree happiness, that excitement that made one’s heart leap even when just thinking of that one special person… Ann’s gaze fell over to the picture of Anne and herself on the dressing table, taken on their wedding day; Anne with her radiant presence, her deep brown eyes, and Ann with a bright smile that was saying it all.

She held the picture for a moment before putting it back in its place, her mind wandering back to Catherine. That excitement her friend was basking in had disappeared for her and Anne, her heart clenching at the silent admission.

She stood, giving herself one last glance before turning to go get changed. She was aware that comparing the thrill of a blooming new relationship with her 3 years marriage wasn’t exactly fair, but still… Ann had expected it to be different, not like _this_. She’d hoped for more.

But maybe, she thought when taking off her bathrobe, this was what marriage was like and everybody was just talking it up because they were in denial about their own dull relationships. Maybe this was just the natural way things developed when you spend day after day with the same person, she pondered.

A few months ago, Ann would have likely argued that there must be a way to stop this from happening, that love will always keep a relationship interesting.

She put on her underwear and reached for her shirt and jeans. But now, after weeks upon weeks of Anne burying herself in her work and their time together more and more devoid of the usual warmth and affection, Ann had started to believe that this was the natural path for any marriage to go down and there was little she could do about it – and she had tried.

There only really seemed to be work anymore for Anne, any attempts to garner her attention yielding limited success.

Cooking her favourite food after a long day at the office? A smile, a peck and a “thank you, love”, but not much else. Ann would still fall asleep in bed alone while Anne worked late on her laptop. Even going out on the weekends had become a rarity because Anne always found something else she had to work on _right now_. And sex…? She wasn’t sure if Anne even looked at her that way anymore; she’d stopped trying to seduce her weeks ago.

Closing her belt with a click, Ann sighed in defeat. She still loved Anne with all her heart, but she had no clue what she could do anymore to revive the passion in their relationship, to get Anne to look at her the way she used to. Her gaze fell back to their wedding picture.

She was dragged out of her thoughts by the sound of the entrance door closing loudly. Far louder than necessary. Uh-oh. Anne was in a bad mood. Hesitantly, Ann left the bedroom to find her wife.

She found her in the dining area, having just put her bag on the table and running a nervous hand through her hair. Ann could sense her irritation a mile off. “Anne?”

Anne turned, giving her a brief smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Hey.” The frown returned immediately as whatever caused her mood seemed to come back to her, though Ann could tell her wife was trying to calm herself.

Anne licked her lips. “Today was… something else. I cannot believe it…”

“What happened?” Ann asked, taking a step closer.

Anne took a deep breath and balled her hand to a fist. “Someone at work has the virus. We were all tested today.”

She paused, looking away briefly. “Positive,” she said with a shaking voice, meeting Ann’s eyes.

“We’re quarantined, effective today.”

Ann just stared at her, not quite knowing what to say. She knew the rules, knew that even though she may not be infected that as Anne’s close family she was quarantined as well.

“You’re infected? Are you feeling alright?” she almost whispered a moment later, eyeing Anne with worry.

A frown appeared on Anne’s face as if she didn’t understand the question. “What? Oh- yes, of course. I’m fine.” She dismissively waved her hand. “Symptomless infection.”

Anne turned to her bag to retrieve her laptop, her brow furrowing. “But I cannot get as much work done from home now because of this asshole that decided it’s a great idea to go to work knowing he wasn’t well.”

Ann sighed. Of course. It was all about work. She walked past Anne towards the kitchen, their gazes meeting fleetingly but without any expression. Her thoughts wandered.

Quarantined with Anne for at least two weeks… it wasn’t such a long time ago that she would’ve been excited about the prospect – they both would’ve been. They would’ve seen it as a free holiday to spend time together however they please, even if it 

meant being confined to the house. But they would’ve been fine. It never used to be hard to find anything to do together.

But now? Ann dreaded the thought of having Anne around the house with her all day, probably grumpy from being kept from going to work. She tried to push the thought away, turning in the doorway to face her wife.

“When do you want to eat?”

Anne looked up from the document in her hand. “Whenever. I don’t mind.”

With that, she grabbed her things and left for her home office where she’d spend most of the rest of the day most likely. As usual.

************************************

Ann awoke, feeling the soft rays of sunlight warm her face. She took a few more moments in the cosy warmth of the bed even knowing it was probably already rather late. For a few minutes, she was just enjoying the peace of drifting in and out of sleep over and over before eventually her body seemed intent on waking up fully.

Her eyes opened and she instinctively looked over, but what for, she wasn’t sure. Of course the other side of the bed was empty as usual. Even quarantined, Anne got up ridiculously early, Ann had quickly learned that over the course of the past days that she’d been stuck inside with her ever-busy wife.

A pang of sadness hit her. She’d hoped that perhaps Anne would realise how little time they’d had together and let go of her stupid project to spend more time with her now that they were quarantined together, but she’d quickly found that little had changed. If anything, it was more painful to have Anne right here with her and still not getting any of her for herself. Ann willed herself to get up and get ready for the day.

Whatever remaining peace she’d carried in her chest quickly dissipated when she walked past Anne’s office and saw her wife hammering the keys working on her first contribution in a book – her great project. This was what she had to put up with for another 11 days – at least. And yet, Ann found herself pause to watch how precisely Anne’s fingers flew over the keyboard, how her eyes were narrowed in concentration, her hair loosely bound together in a low ponytail with a few greys showing here and there.

Despite the emotional distance that had grown between them, Ann found a little smile grow on her face as she silently watched her wife. This was the woman she fell in love with. The woman that had swept her off her feet so effortlessly. The woman she wanted to grow old with.

Anne’s phone rang and she paused to pick it up. What followed was an argument with what Ann assumed was one of her co-workers with Anne complaining about how hard it would be to make the deadline now with group work being significantly harder to do from home. Ann’s smile fell as she listened before eventually stepping back. This was the woman she was losing to her job.

************************************ 

The day went about the same as the other days before it. Anne worked and worked, and Ann busied herself around the house for a bit before going to sit on the couch and watching some Netflix. Except… one thing was different. Ann’s gaze kept jumping back to Anne who was now very distractingly pacing up and down next to the tv, deep in thought with a displeased frown on her face.

She’d chosen not to ask her wife what was going through her mind, knowing Anne preferred not to be talked to when she was in thought, especially when she was in a bad mood. But this had been going on for minutes, and it was starting to grate on Ann’s nerves that Anne had decided to do this right here when she was trying to watch a film instead of staying in her office which was, admittedly, rather small for pacing.

Eventually, she’d had enough. Ann reached for the remote to pause the film. “Thinking about your project?” she asked, trying to sound more casual than she felt.

Anne stopped in her tracks, their gazes meeting. “Yes of course,” she replied, her voice filled with tension and cut off at the end. As if she’d wanted to add something but had thought better of it.

Ann frowned. She didn’t like the sound of her voice, didn’t appreciate Anne taking in the living room for no reason so Ann couldn’t even enjoy her film in peace. She grit her teeth. “You have an office for that, if I’m not mistaken.”

Anne took a moment, blinking. Her hand reached up to loosen the first button of her blouse. “Yes, I do. I’m sorry I didn’t realise I’m not allowed to pace the living room… in _our_ house.”

Brown eyes focused on hers with a certain sharpness piercing Ann. She willed herself to keep Anne’s gaze instead of looking away. “I am trying to watch a film, Anne.” She gestured at Anne, “This is distracting.”

“’Distracting’”, Anne repeated, rubbing her finger over her lips. She looked away, then back at Ann. “Well, I’m sorry to have bothered you then. Will you let me know when I’m allowed in the living room again then, your majesty?”

Ann pressed her lips together, her hand clutching the remote. “Excuse me?”

“Since I dared to walk this room without your explicit permission,” Anne almost hissed, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Ann was starting to feel the effects of not only the last few days but the last months creeping up on her, drowning out any diplomatic response she would’ve otherwise likely come up with, any calming words or apologies to stop the mounting tension from reaching a breaking point. But not today. Ann’s own frustrations wanted to be heard for once.

“I am just trying to watch a movie, Anne!” Ann raised her voice, looking up at her wife. “All you think about is your stupid job, not once considering me and what I need,” she almost shouted. Her heart was pounding in her chest as the words left her mouth and while it was unlike her, it felt good.

Anne just looked at her for a moment, her mouth hanging open. But then she recovered, her face twisting deeply with anger. “Are you kidding me? You know this project has a tight deadline I need to follow if I want to make it further in my profession…” she started, “or is that too hard to understand for someone who has never worked a tough job in her life?”

Ann gasped as Anne’s words pierced her skin and bones, her heart. Tears filled her eyes unbidden, but she tried to ignore them through her anger. “Why don’t you marry your job then if it matters so much more to you?”

Their gazes pierced each other as if both were trying to see who would look away first and admit defeat and stand down. But stubbornness was one thing they had in common. “What do you even mean? Don’t be ridiculous, Ann,” Anne responded, a bit of the edge taken from her voice but her eyes still filled with anger as they met the watery blues before her.

Ann shook her head. “You really don’t get it, do you?” She rose from her seat to leave the room. She stopped in front of Anne. “The only thing you have eyes for anymore is your stupid project, Anne. You may as well move into your office when this quarantine is over…”

Anne licked her lips. “I might as well, seeing how fed up my wife is with me and my _job_ ,” she said, the last part in an almost mocking tone as her eyes followed Ann move away.

When she’d reached the edge of the room, Ann turned to look at her wife. Tears were starting to run down her cheeks. “I cannot be fed up with someone who doesn’t even pay attention to me anymore,” she said with a sad voice before leaving Anne to herself.

************************************

At first, Anne had sank herself into her anger. She’d stormed back into her office, had locked the door behind herself and taken a deep breath. What was Ann even talking about? Had she completely lost her mind? Or had she stopped loving Anne and had resolved to blame her for it? Anne could not make heads or tails of it in her fury.

So Anne did the only thing she could to hope and distract herself and continued on her project. She quickly found that concentration was eluding her, however. With a grunt, she closed her laptop and fished her journal from her bag.

Driven by her anger, her pen was flying over page after page as she wrote down her frustrations with her wife. _I do not know what has gotten into her but I begin to think she has had enough of me and is using my job as an excuse, consciously or not._ Anne paused, looking up to collect her thoughts.

_I cannot be fed up with someone who doesn’t even pay attention to me anymore._ Ann’s last words came back to her unbidden, a sting in Anne’s heart as she heard them accompanied by that pained look in her wife’s face. Why was Ann feeling that way…?

Anne looked out the window, the late afternoon sun taking her mind on a journey. Images of them going on a walk together appeared on her mind, a day much like today. Ann had been smiling, their fingers linked as they walked the park together. Anne found a smile grow on her lips before realisation hit her. How long had it been since they’d done anything like that together?

She looked at the words in her journal, her eyes wide. She went back a few pages, skimmed them, then back a few more. Anne looked down in defeat; all she was writing about was her job. Ann had barely been mentioned briefly in her last entries.

Anne put the journal aside, leaning forward in her seat as her eyes glazed over. How had this happened…? She had completely shut her out, had only focused on her job and nothing else. All of this… for what?

She knew. She knew she’d wanted to prove herself she could climb the ladder and earn more money – not that they needed it, Ann could provide for them even if Anne were to stay at home too; but she had wanted to show herself she could make something of herself and not be dependent on Ann’s money.

But in the process, she may have very well lost her, Anne realised as a sob left her. The tears started flowing freely as she understood how much she’d neglected her wife.

************************************

For the rest of the evening, Anne found herself in a whirlwind of emotions and uncertainty. She wasn’t sure what to do next, how to apologise to Ann if she would even accept it at this point after – Anne was aware now – months of her pretty much ignoring her for the most part.

Anne did not see herself as a coward, but if she was honest with herself, there were few other ways to interpret her hiding away in the office until she could be certain Ann had gone to bed. She left the office to get a drink from the kitchen, passing the sofa on the way. Stopping, she wondered if Ann would even want her to sleep in the same bed… should she sleep here instead?

After a moment, she shook her head. That would send the wrong signal. Carefully so as not to wake Ann, she snuck into their bedroom, the small frame in the bed illuminated by the full moon outside. Anne changed quietly, then lay down next to her, her gaze drawn to the blonde who lay facing her fast asleep, her breath coming out evenly.

Even in the darkness of the room Anne could tell that her eyes still looked puffy from crying. And that was her fault.

_I’m so sorry,_ she thought, a deep longing taking over her heart to tell her wife this right now, to hold her and apologise if Ann would let her. How had she let herself become so almost obsessed with her job to forget what a wonderful wife she had?

The longing was aching in her chest, and Anne couldn’t stop herself from moving closer and gently pressing her lips to Ann’s forehead. Staying close for a moment, she took a deep breath, inhaling Ann’s scent. “I’m sorry,” she whispered eventually.  
Anne resolved in that moment that she’d do her best to show her wife that she’d gotten the message, starting the following morning. With that, she let her gaze linger on Ann for another few moments before tiredness forced her to let go and rest.

************************************

As usual, Anne awoke early with the first bit of light timidly brightening their bedroom. Even without an alarm set, she rarely slept longer than 7. She reached for her phone to confirm the time – 6:21, and tried to stay as quiet as possible as she rose so Ann could sleep in a bit longer as usual.

Dressed and ready for the day, Anne found herself stopping in the doorframe, casting a glance back at her wife still sleeping peacefully. It was in that moment that her stomach’s soft growl reminded her of her hunger… and gave her an idea.

************************************

Ann groaned when the ever-annoying sound of her alarm drew her out of whatever dream world she had undoubtedly been submerged in again. She blindly reached for her phone to silence the offending melody of a song she stopped enjoying the moment she made the mistake to put it as her alarm.

She sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes but not feeling particularly rested or willing to get up, her mood low. Her gaze fell over to the empty side of the bed and memories of the night before rushed her brain with no chance to block them out.

Ann sighed. She wasn’t angry anymore, no, but an overwhelming sadness was making her chest clench. She’d really lost Anne, hadn’t she? What would happen now? They couldn’t go on like this. Ann didn’t want to go on like this. But if yesterday had told her anything, it’s that Anne didn’t even seem to realise what she was doing; or maybe she’d simply stopped caring.

Catching a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror, Ann stood, meeting her own gaze; she looked as unhappy as she felt. No, she would not accept this situation any longer. She was aware that it would likely lead to another argument, but Ann would speak to Anne about this. Things had to change. One way or another.

Leaving the bedroom, the smell of food immediately caught her attention and surprised her. It was usually her making breakfast these days. Ann found her wife in the kitchen, her back to her. Ann’s gaze fell over to the nearby dining area that was visible through their open kitchen, once again surprised to find the table neatly prepared for the two of them. When had Anne last made the effort to do that…? She usually rushed food and especially breakfast these days, whether she had to hurry to the office or not.

Maybe Anne was hoping this gesture would satisfy her enough to make her forget about the night before, Ann found herself thinking bitterly. But if that’s what her wife thought, she was wrong.

“Morning,” she said to announce her presence.

Anne turned. “Ann.” She took a step towards her, her gaze roaming Ann’s face searching for any indicators for her mood.

“We need to talk.”

There was a moment of silence as the words left their mouths in near unison. Ann couldn’t help the little smile on her lips as Anne looked away sheepishly for a moment. “Well,” she said, “that’s a better start already than I imagined.”

Ann nodded, feeling part of the tension leave her body. “I…” she started, suddenly aware that she’d not thought this through very much and was at a loss of words, unsure how to phrase what had been hurting her for so long. She felt nervous all of a sudden.

Anne briefly looked back at the cooking bacon before turning back to her. “You gave me a lot to think about last night. I’ve been a terrible wife to you…” Sadness flashed over her face, her eyes darting to the floor.

“And I’m still not sure how I did not even notice it for so long,” she continued, her deep brown eyes locking back onto Ann’s. The blonde’s heart warmed at the sincerity in her wife’s expression. Maybe there was hope after all.

“I’ve tried to gain your attention for so long, but you never seemed to have eyes for anything other than your job and that project anymore…”

“Oh Ann…” Anne took a step towards her, tentatively reaching out to take her hand. Ann let her. “I’m so sorry.”

Ann squeezed her wife’s hand. “Please… pay attention to me again. I miss you.” Her voice nearly broke, and she knew it sounded desperate, vulnerable.

Anne rubbed her thumb over Ann’s fingers, nodding. “I will. I will do better… I’ve missed you too.” She leaned down to place a kiss on her wife’s forehead.

“I know you need to work still, but… we’ve got all this time together now that we can’t go out.”

Anne nodded. “You’re right. I got far too distracted by work, and I-” she swallowed, “tunnel-visioned on seeing this project through so I could perhaps secure a promotion sometime. That’ll change from today.”

Ann felt hope blossoming in her heart at her wife’s words. She stood on her tiptoes to press a soft kiss to her cheek and was met with a content smile. “And I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner… I just didn’t know what to do, what was even happening, and it all kind of paralysed me I think.”

She brushed her finger over the wedding band on Anne’s finger. “I let everything pile up within me instead of approaching you,” she added after a moment, her voice nearly a whisper.

Anne shook her head. “This isn’t your fault. I’m the one who screwed up, you just didn’t know how to deal with it.” But seeing Ann’s disbelieving frown and how her wife opened her mouth to retort, she added quickly, “But let’s agree that we both made mistakes and will work on improving, yes?”

Ann smiled now, nodding. Said smile faltered, however, when the distinct the smell of burning invaded her senses. Anne noticed too, rushing to the bacon to save what she could. “Damn it.”

Somehow, Ann couldn’t bring herself to care all that much now that the weight of sorrow had been lifted off her shoulders and replaced with hope. She placed her hand on the small of Anne’s back. “I’ve always been the better cook between the two of us.”   
She grinned.

Anne turned to her, raising an eyebrow. “Excuse me? I was distracted.”

“Mhmh, of course.”

“I was!” Anne playfully slapped her wife’s shoulder. “This is what I’m putting up with.”

They shared a smile. Ann helped her take care of the scrambled eggs after – not, as she insisted, because of Anne’s rather average cooking skills but to be in her company, of course – and some laughs and grins later when they sat down to eat she was certain she wasn’t the only one who hadn’t enjoyed a morning quite this much in a while.

Unfortunately, Anne of course still had to work, but she acknowledged that lately she had really been overdoing it and was going to dial it down. Ann spent the early afternoon catching up with her family and reading while Anne finished what work she couldn’t postpone for the day.

They had dinner together and sat down to start a new series on Netflix that they’d been meaning to watch for a long time but hadn’t gotten round to. For the first time in a while, Ann was feeling excited. Her heart fluttered when Anne wrapped her arm around her shoulders and the familiar Netflix welcome screen flashed across their tv.

Time flew by, so when they decided for a little break, Ann had to do a double take to make herself believe they’d already watched three episodes. Anne stretched beside her, moving away from her to get up and fetch them some drinks, and Ann missed her warmth next to her immediately.

But not for long. Anne returned with a whiskey for herself and some iced tea for Ann. She put them on the coffee table and sat next to her wife, reaching up to rub her own shoulder. She winced.

“Tense?” Ann asked, instinctively placing her hand on Anne’s back. She had issues with aches and tension in her shoulders frequently, and over the years Ann had become rather proficient at helping relieve the aching muscles.

Anne nodded with a soft smile growing on her face; Ann knew what to do, and she was glad to assist, aware now that too had been something Anne had not approached her with anymore recently.

“One sec.”

Ann disappeared for a minute to fetch their massage oil. She sat back down next to Anne, tugging at her shirt. “Off,” she instructed gently.

Anne met her gaze, then did as told. Her fingers reached up to undo button after button, and Ann found she was mesmerised by the long digits as they worked on revealing Anne’s body. The blonde glanced down at the shape of her wife’s abs and unconsciously licked her lips, her mind ready to wander off to other places entirely.

Then the shirt came off and the bra followed closely after. Ann’s gaze snapped up to meet Anne’s; if her wife had noticed any of her intense staring she didn’t show it, though Ann thought she’d seen a glimmer in her eyes for a split second.

She tried to focus on the task at hand, finding Anne’s body a lot more distracting than she’d expected. Her fingertips danced across the tense shoulders in practiced movements, intuitively finding particularly sore spots and kneading gently.

Anne had closed her eyes, accompanying Ann’s work with hums and groans, sometimes biting her lip when Ann was working a difficult spot – all of which did nothing to help Ann stay concentrated. It had been far too long, she was well aware, but damn it, she was feeling like some sort of hormonal teenager right now.

Ann pressed her thighs together, leaning closer to inhale the mix of Anne’s scent and the soothing lavender of the oil. Running her hand over Anne’s shoulder, she checked how it felt and hummed when satisfied with the result.

“How is it?”

Anne rolled her shoulder, moving and stretching her arm a little. “Feels much better, thank you.”

She turned to Ann and gave her a soft peck, one that was over far too quickly for Ann’s liking, who leaned in to pursue Anne as she retreated. Anne cupped her cheek, a moment of silence shared between them before their lips met once more.

Ann hummed, softly digging her nails into Anne’s shoulder as she deepened the kiss which was met with a low groan. Anne wrapped her arm around her waist to pull her closer; Ann could already feel her heart pound in her chest and her entire body heat up with anticipation.

She was drowning in the moment, in Anne, Anne’s lips… Anne’s hand on her ass. She pulled away, not sure whether she was doing it to take a breath or look into those dark brown eyes, but she found herself mesmerised either way. Anne smirked, leaning in to place lazy kisses along her jawline and neck – Ann was starting to lose herself.

She let herself fall back against the arm of the couch with Anne following closely after. Her legs fell open and Anne settled between them naturally with Ann pulling her close so their lips found each other once more.

Ann’s hips pressed against her wife’s, Anne’s weight on top of her grounding her and filling her with warmth as they started grinding against one another. How she’d missed this. Now, every one of the brunette’s touches eased whatever lingering worries she still had bit by bit; Anne’s hands sliding over her breasts, her teeth nipping at the creamy skin of her neck…

Ann held onto her tightly, running her hands up and down her naked back. She was stuck in a trance, only Anne still breaching her consciousness, having effortlessly set herself in the midst of it, in fact. Nothing else was able to pierce through what felt like an invisible shroud around them. And she was so damn fine with that.

Anne moved her hands to the hem of her shirt, pulling away slightly as she pushed it up to reveal Ann’s belly. She blinked, somehow only now aware they were still on their couch, and while this wouldn’t be the first time they’d end up doing each other here, Ann felt it inappropriate tonight.

She wanted the comfortable warmth of their bed and the softness of their duvet around them. Her wife seemed to have other plans though, working her hands under her shirt to squeeze her breasts.

Ann’s eyes threatened to fall closed, her hips wantonly pressing into Anne as if her body was begging her to get on with it in traitorous disposition to her wishes. She blinked once, twice as if that’d help her to regain any sense of concentration, and maybe it did.

“Anne…”

Darkened eyes met hers. “Yes?”

“Not here…,” she almost whispered, glancing in the direction of the bedroom, “let’s take this to bed.”

Anne licked her lips, nodding eagerly as she pulled Ann against her. “Hold on,” she instructed. Ann understood and wrapped her arms and legs around her, sighing when Anne lifted her into the air effortlessly – her wife’s strength had always been a turn on.

As Anne marched them towards the bedroom with determination, Ann’s lips trailed a hungry path from below her ear along her jawline and down her neck to her collarbone, met with a groan from above. 

“Ann,” Anne warned, their gazes meeting. Ann knew she was pushing it, knew they might not make it to the bedroom if she kept this up. And yet– her eyes sparkled with mischief.

She couldn’t resist, moving her hand lower and taking a nipple between her fingers and rubbed.

Anne took a shaky breath, staggering slightly before she nearly walked them into the wall, catching herself just in time. After a beat of silence Ann found herself giggling, looking up to find Anne’s intense gaze on her. She too had to grin after a moment.

“You’re distracting.”

Ann bit her lip. “I know.”

Anne smirked and pulled her up into a fierce kiss, their passions taking over once more as she pressed Ann against the nearest wall, which elicited a groan. They ground together, Ann’s hands clutching desperately onto her wife’s back.

She whimpered when Anne went for her neck. “Anne…”

A low chuckle reached her ear and she shivered. Anne moved back to look at her, and it seemed that for a moment she was pondering what she was going to do.

Then she moved away from the wall and got them back on track on their way to the bedroom, and this time Ann behaved – as hard as that was.

Moments later they’d made it, with Anne kicking the door closed and placing Ann on the bed to climb on top of her. They shared a grin before their lips found each other in the room that was faintly lit by the moonshine entering through the windows. Somehow it was magical to Ann.

Anne moved away, “I want you so much.”

She reached for the belt of her pants, hastily opening it with a loud click that reverberated in the spacious room. Ann reached for her own shirt to pull it over her head and unclasped her bra right after while her wife was busy removing her pants and underwear; socks were flung to the floor carelessly.

They united for a brief kiss while Anne undid her wife’s pants which were hastily discarded alongside her remaining underwear. They found each other once more, passionate kisses turning open-mouthed as their naked bodies slid against one another and Anne’s hands moved lower to cup her wife’s breasts.

Ann gasped when dexterous fingers played with her nipples, her hands wrapping tightly around Anne to pull her closer. She opened her legs wider, pressing her hips upward in a not so subtle hint.

Anne kissed a trail to her ear, and when she bit her lobe, Ann shivered. “Always so impatient.”

Ann didn’t need to see the smirk to know it was there, and God, what a turn on it was. She exhaled shakily, more arousal pooling between her legs. Was Anne going to tease her now of all times? And, more importantly, was Ann going to go along with it?

The decision was easily made. She reached up, pulling Anne away from her neck and into a bruising kiss, her tongue invading her wife’s mouth with fervour.

Anne groaned, hips jerking against Ann’s which in turn elicited a moan from her. The air was thick with tension. It was all the warning Ann got when fingertips brushed against her plentiful wetness, only teasingly sliding over her clit before moving lower and pushing into her.

Dual moans filled the room, soon joined by the slick sounds of Anne’s movement. Ann gasped, digging her nails into her wife’s shoulders and keeping her close.

They looked at each other, both panting with the exertion. Anne smiled, brushing her nose against Ann’s.

It spelled out ‘I love you’ perfectly, Ann thought, her walls clenching around the fingers driving into her at the thought. She pressed her lips to Anne’s, desperately, eagerly, wishing to communicate these feelings whose intensity hadn’t wavered – had only grown, in fact – since she fell in love with Anne years ago.

Anne shifted so her thumb could brush against her clit, taking her harder. Ann saw stars, hips rocking to follow Anne’s movement.

Anne kissed along her jaw to her ear, “You’re so beautiful…” she whispered, curling her fingers, “absolutely stunning.”

Ann lost all sense of time, disconnected from everything around her but Anne… Anne on her, in her, Anne’s words… with a final cry, she came.

When she came down, Ann found her wife next to her with a satisfied grin, her deep dark eyes still wild but also with a sense of contentment in them. She turned and pressed against Anne, nudging her so she would roll onto her back.

Within a heartbeat she was pulled down for a searing kiss that showed her just how much fire was still burning inside her wife, reigniting her own as well. She slid her hand lower, over Anne’s small breasts to her firm stomach and further over her hipbone until her fingers were coated in wetness and Anne inhaled sharply.

Ann let her gaze linger on hers as she found her clit and rubbed in slow determined circles, gradually applying more pressure until Anne’s hips were following her movements. She found herself smirking for no apparent reason – though maybe, on second thought, it was because she always rather enjoyed wielding so much power over this strong woman that was used to getting her way with people, the impenetrable fortress of a personality that was Anne Lister, a name that meant respect and – to some – fear.

But in these sacred moments between just the two of them, it was different with Anne – _her_ Anne. They’d opened up to each other, allowing one another to see the others deepest fears and find a safe haven, that one person they could be vulnerable with. Ann still respected that Anne had decided she was worthy to be allowed into this hidden world to see the other side of her.

And that thought made her smile as she found those beautiful eyes once more just moments before her lips kissed down Anne’s collarbone to her chest, for her tongue and teeth to toy with her nipples.

Anne groaned, bringing her hand to Ann’s head and threading through her hair to encourage her. Skilled fingers started massaging her scalp, making her hum against Anne’s chest, her skin tingling. Ann looked up once more, finding Anne’s unfocused gaze on her with little gasps and moans leaving her parted lips as the blonde continued her work. The entire look unhinged her.

She kissed her way further down to her destination to replace her hand with her mouth, closing her eyes as she slid her tongue over her folds to her clit and took in Anne’s heady taste and scent.

Anne’s hips were pushing more insistently now, little words of encouragement spilling from her mouth. Ann reached under her thigh to open her up more, then circled her entrance with her other hand and when Anne pushed forward, she pressed two fingers inside.

As she felt Anne starting to tremble, her mouth was becoming more unrelenting; Ann took her clit between her lips and sucked while her fingers thrust in a steady rhythm.

“Faster,” Anne panted from above.

It was all the encouragement Ann needed. Fingers dug into her skull while she continued her efforts with fervour, and not long after Anne clenched around her fingers and a shaky drawn out moan went straight to Ann’s core.

She guided her through her orgasm, then placed one last parting kiss between her legs before retreating. Ann was welcomed with a passionate kiss, the searing fire from earlier now replaced with a soothing ember that warmed her entire body, starting at her chest.

They lay together for a long time after that, just exchanging sweet nothings at first, then continuing talking about anything that came to mind all the while Anne had her wife pressed close to her with her arm around her shoulder.

Anne chuckled when Ann yawned and was clearly starting to struggle keeping her eyes open.

“Let’s go to sleep… tomorrow’s another day,” she said, placing a gentle kiss to Ann’s forehead.

“And,” she added, “I think I can get away with doing a little less work tomorrow.”

Ann smiled sleepily at that. “Good, because I want you all to myself.”

************************************

The first shy rays of sunlight were peeking through the windows when Ann opened her eyes, first disoriented that she’d woken at such an early time. But then she felt the warm body behind her and the comfortable weight of Anne’s arm safely around her waist and found a smile grow on her lips.

She pressed back against Anne, sighing with contentment when her wife stirred, mumbled something she didn’t pick up, and placed a fleeting kiss against her shoulder. Ann tried to move as little as possible to fiddle for her phone and check the time, but just when she’d nearly reached it, a hand stopped her.

“Leave it,” Anne said, voice still heavy with sleep. She snuggled against Ann who just nodded and let herself sink back into the mattress.

When was the last time they’d done this in the mornings? It had been far too long, that was for sure. She glanced over to the nightstand and her gaze fell on her wedding ring that she’d somehow still had the clarity of mind to put there neatly.

It hadn’t been 24 hours ago that she’d worried their marriage had disintegrated into little more than a shell of its former self, that Anne had stopped looking at her the way she usually did and had started only caring about her work anymore.

Now, all those doubts had evaporated into nothing. Ann smiled, feeling her heart beat faster in her chest at the renewed passion and closeness in their relationship. She found herself looking forward to her next call with Catherine – now she too had to bury her in exciting details about her marriage again.

Ann placed her hand over Anne’s, feeling her entire body relax into the comfortable warmth. Before long, sleep claimed her once more.


End file.
